New opportunities open up for Eastern partners

President Dalia Grybauskaitė, currently attending a European Council meeting in Brussels, briefed the European leaders on preparedness for the Vilnius Summit to be held this coming November. The heads of state and government of the EU member states took stock of the progress in European integration made by the EU's Eastern partners and discussed the homework these countries must do for an EU Association Agreement to be successfully signed with Ukraine and initialed with Moldova and Georgia at the Vilnius Summit.

According to the President, one of the key tasks for Ukraine who is seeking to sign an EU Association Agreement in Vilnius is to solve the selective justice problem and Yulia Tymoshenko question. Ukraine also needs to conduct election and prosecution reforms and adopt the necessary amendments to laws pertaining to justice, judiciary and fighting corruption, as well as improve business environment.

The summit will also seek progress in the EU visa facilitation for Eastern partners.

The President noted that with the view to adopting critical decisions, Lithuania as the EU presiding member state, Ukraine, Moldova and other Eastern partners face strong external pressures. Economic threats and discriminatory export barriers are aimed to impede euro-integration processes and exert influence on the countries' determination to choose a European future.

The Vilnius Summit will be the third meeting of the Eastern Partnership where EU members and Eastern partners will be represented at the highest level. It is one of the largest and most important events of the Lithuanian EU Presidency.

New opportunities open up for Eastern partners

25 October 2013 Last updated at 17:16 EET

President Dalia Grybauskaitė, currently attending a European Council meeting in Brussels, briefed the European leaders on preparedness for the Vilnius Summit to be held this coming November. The heads of state and government of the EU member states took stock of the progress in European integration made by the EU's Eastern partners and discussed the homework these countries must do for an EU Association Agreement to be successfully signed with Ukraine and initialed with Moldova and Georgia at the Vilnius Summit.

According to the President, one of the key tasks for Ukraine who is seeking to sign an EU Association Agreement in Vilnius is to solve the selective justice problem and Yulia Tymoshenko question. Ukraine also needs to conduct election and prosecution reforms and adopt the necessary amendments to laws pertaining to justice, judiciary and fighting corruption, as well as improve business environment.

The summit will also seek progress in the EU visa facilitation for Eastern partners.

The President noted that with the view to adopting critical decisions, Lithuania as the EU presiding member state, Ukraine, Moldova and other Eastern partners face strong external pressures. Economic threats and discriminatory export barriers are aimed to impede euro-integration processes and exert influence on the countries' determination to choose a European future.

The Vilnius Summit will be the third meeting of the Eastern Partnership where EU members and Eastern partners will be represented at the highest level. It is one of the largest and most important events of the Lithuanian EU Presidency.